CNET: Best TVs For Watching The World Cup 2018

The FIFA World Cup 2018 is almost upon us, and fans all over the world are getting psyched. But only a select few will be lucky enough to attend the games in Russia. The vast majority of soccer — er, football — fans will be watching from home, on TV. And if you’re a fan whose TV doesn’t quite seem worthy of this massive, once-every-four-year event, maybe you’re considering a new one. These four sets are some of CNET’s favorites.

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TCL 6 series (2018 Roku TV)

CNET rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: The affordable TCL 6 series has excellent overall image quality, with deep black levels, very good brightness, rich contrast and accurate color. Its Roku smart TV platform is the best available, with a simple interface and extensive streaming app support. The TV handles both HDR10 and Dolby Vision high dynamic range sources.

LG OLEDC8P

CNET rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: The LG C8 is the best performing TV we’ve tested to date. It delivers perfect black levels, wide viewing angles, accurate color and a great bright-room picture. Uniformity and video-processing options are slightly better than last year. Its striking design features a super-slim panel.

Vizio M-Series (2017)

CNET rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: The affordable Vizio M-Series has better overall picture quality than anything else at its price, and in some ways outperforms even more expensive TVs. It can handle both HDR10 and Dolby Vision high-dynamic-range formats. The Chromecast built-in system offers more apps and more frequent updates than many dedicated smart TV systems, and can even be controlled by a Google Home speaker.

The bad: Not as bright as some competitors. No built-in tuner, so you can’t watch over-the-air antenna broadcasts unless you attach a separate tuner. Mediocre external design and poor smart TV onscreen menus. Only one HDMI input is compatible with every 4K HDR source.

The cost: $599.99 to $789.99 (55-inch)

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The bottom line: The Vizio M-Series remains the best choice for mainstream budgets that prioritize image quality over everything else.

The Vizio M-Series remains the best choice for mainstream budgets that prioritize image quality over everything else. (Sarah Tew/CNET/TNS)

The good: The Sony XBR-X900F evinces excellent image quality, with deep black levels, accurate color, solid video processing and very good high dynamic range performance. Its modern, minimalist styling is a cut above budget models. The Android TV operating system beats many competitors with more apps and integrated Google Assistant.